Essay Topics in Ecology for Psychology Faculty Students

Essay formatting requirements: - standard structure: title page, table of contents (if necessary), main text, bibliography; - main text no longer than 10 pages; - no fewer than 5 sources; - font: Times New Roman, size 14, line spacing 1–1.5. Presentation requirements: - the presentation structure includes the relevance of the topic, the main points addressing the topic, and conclusions; - presentation time: 5 minutes; - discussion time: 3–5 minutes; - the use of a presentation is encouraged when delivering the essay report. Essay Topics: Introduction to Ecology 1. Ecology as the science of interaction. Its relationship to other sciences. 2. A brief history of the development of ecology. 3. Interpretations of the concept of "ecology"; the view of ecology as a biological science adopted in this course. 4. The role of ecology in relation to other fields of biology. 5. Fundamental properties of biological systems. Autecology and Environmental Science 6. The ecological environment and ecological factors. Different classifications of ecological factors. 7. Anthropogenic factors and their characteristics. 8. Liebig's law of the minimum (1840) and Shelford's tolerance rule (1913). 9. The diversity of organisms according to their tolerance ranges for different factors. The concept of adaptation. 10. Solar radiation: its composition (spectrum), absorption by the atmosphere, and effects on organisms. Various biological effects associated with solar radiation. 11. Adaptations of diverse organisms to the quantity and qualitative composition of electromagnetic radiation. 12. Photoperiodism. 13. Thermal balance of the organism. Thermobiological types of organisms. 14. Temperature and the amount of heat; the concept of effective temperatures. 15. Clinal variation. The ecological rules of Bergmann, Allen, and Gloger. 16. Characteristics of organisms related to their size. 17. Water and moisture. Salinity and osmotic pressure. Water balance. Adaptations for water conservation in terrestrial organisms. 18. Energy sources for organisms. Autotrophs and heterotrophs. 19. Photosynthesis and respiration: atmospheric oxygen as a product of photosynthesis. 20. Chemosynthesis; life in anaerobic conditions. 21. Trophic relationships between organisms: producers, consumers, and decomposers. 22. Constellation (simultaneous action on the organism) of different ecological factors. Hutchinson's niche concept. 23. Selye's stress concept. 24. Characteristics of the terrestrial-air environment for organisms. Adaptations of organisms to life in this environment. 25. Characteristics of the soil environment for organisms. Adaptations of organisms to life in this environment. 26. Characteristics of the aquatic environment for organisms. Adaptations of organisms to life in this environment. 27. Characteristics of other organisms as an environment for organisms. Adaptations of organisms to life in this environment. 28. Life forms and their classifications. Species Interactions and Population Regulation 29. Populations and their properties. 30. Population characteristics. 31. Demographic tables, pyramids, and survivorship curves. 32. Exponential and logistic population growth. 33. The Lotka-Volterra model. 34. Classification of species interactions (based on the signs of species' influences on each other in the Lotka-Volterra model). 35. Mutualism and protocooperation. Optimal strategies of interacting species; examples of interactions; examples of morphological, physiological, and ethological adaptations of species to interaction with each other. 36. Commensalism. Optimal strategies of interacting species; examples of interactions; examples of morphological, physiological, and ethological adaptations of species to interaction with each other. 37. Diversity of forms of exploitation. Optimal strategies of interacting species; examples of interactions; examples of morphological, physiological, and ethological adaptations of species to interaction with each other. 38. Competition. Optimal strategies of interacting species; examples of interactions; examples of morphological, physiological, and ethological adaptations of species to interaction with each other. 39. Competition and ecological niches. 40. Amensalism and neutralism. Optimal strategies of interacting species; examples of interactions; examples of morphological, physiological, and ethological adaptations of species to interaction with each other. 41. Ecological strategies. 42. Regulation of population numbers. Primary and secondary factors regulating numbers. The diversity of mechanisms for optimizing population numbers. 43. Strategies of intra-population interaction. 44. Gause's rule; examples of its applicability and cases where it does not apply. Different approaches to describing the concept of the ecological niche. 45. The specifics of the population organization of various species. Ecosystems and the Biosphere 46. Ecosystems and biogeocenoses. Components. Regulatory systems. 47. Biomes. Classification and principles of delineation. 48. Ecological balance. 49. Ecosystem productivity and its measurement. 50. Successions. 51. The nature and characteristics of communities. 52. Trophic links and levels. 52. Ecological pyramids. 54. The biosphere. 55. The noosphere. 56. Principal regulatory systems at the ecosystem and biospheric levels. 57. The anthropic paradox. The Modern Ecological Crisis 58. The population structure of humanity. Causes of human population growth and its prospects. 59. Resources used by humanity. 60. A comparison of natural and artificial ecosystems. Factors limiting productivity in each. 61. A comparison of different types of agriculture from the perspective of agrosystem productivity, stability, and environmental impact. 62. The pros and cons of organic farming. 63. The main ecological problems of modern humanity (problems of humanity's interaction with its environment) and possible solutions. 64. Biomes and human culture. Social Ecology 65. The subject of social ecology and its relationship to other sciences. The development of people's ecological ideas from ancient times to the present day. The formation of the subject of social ecology. 66. Socio-ecological interaction and its subjects. Humans and society as subjects of socio-ecological interaction. The human environment and its elements as subjects of socio-ecological interaction. 67. The relationship between society and nature in the history of civilization. The culture of hunters and gatherers. Agrarian culture. Industrial society. Post-industrial society, the ideal of the noosphere, and the concept of sustainable development. 68. Human behavior in the natural and social environment. Characterization of ecological needs. 69. Human adaptation to the natural and social environment. The distinctive features of behavior in the natural and social environment. 70. Human behavior in critical and extreme situations. 71. The ecology of the living environment. The socio-domestic environment. The work environment. The recreational environment. Ecological Ethics 72. Elements of ecological ethics. 73. The moral aspect of the relationship between humans, society, and nature. 74. Nature as a value. Anthropocentrism and naturocentrism. 75. Non-violence as a form of relating to nature and as a moral principle. The problem of non-violent interaction between humans, society, and nature in religious conceptions. Ecological Psychology 76. Elements of ecological psychology. The subject of ecological psychology. 77. Subjective relationship to nature and its varieties. Subjective perception of the world of nature. 78. Ecological consciousness. 79. Elements of ecological pedagogy. The problem of forming ecological culture. Ecological education and upbringing. The ecologization of education.